Shock-absorber.



C. D. JENNEY SHOCK ABSORBER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. I915.

Jan. 21, 1913).

SHEET 1 C l-Henna t2 H AL t nu lwi tme/aoqo C. D. JENNEY.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATION man lULY 12. 1915.

1,291,908. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- ami Muses CHARLES D. JENNEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Application filed July 12, 1915. Serial No. 39,366.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. J ENNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, Marion county, and State of Indiana, haveinvented and discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Shock-Absorbers, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to shock absorbers for motor cars and its object isto provide a device of this class capable of utilizing a very flexiblespring so that the absorber will be responsive to slight shocks and jarsand also adapted to provide a rebound cushioning medium of greaterresistance than the spring, to provide means whereby the motionstransmitted to the axle and the main leaf springs of the motor car orother part to be cushioned, will be multiplied in range of movement in"transmission to the shock absorber, to thereby greatly increase theresponsive action of the absorber, to provide a construction capable ofattachment to the ordinary supporting clevis for the leaf springs, thusavoiding any additional fastening means passing through the leaf springsthat would tend to cause the same to bind or buckle in their movementand to provide a construction in which the rebound from the downwardmovement of the leaf springs or other part connected to the cushioningmeans is checked and rendered gradual and easy; to provide means wherebyan excessive pressure against the stuffing box of the dash pot employedas the cushioning means is avoided in the rebound checking movement, andto provide a con struction which is capable of being readily mountedupon motor cars without substantial change in the construction of thelatter.

With these ends in view my invention is embodied in preferable form inthe device hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of one form of thedevice as applied to the front axle of a motor car, said view beingtaken from the rear looking toward the front; Fig. 2 is a view inelevation looking from the front toward the rear of a shock absorberconstruction embodying my invention and particularly adapted forapplication with the rear axle of a car; Fig. 3 is a partial plan viewon the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a vertical section on the line 44 ofFig. 1, showing the mode of mounting the operating lever; Fig. 5, adetail vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 1 through the support forthe dash pot which forms the main element of the shock absorber; Fig. 6is a plan view of one end of the mechanism shown in F i 2; Fig. 7 is avertical section on the line %7 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a section on theline 8 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 9 is a horizontal and longitudinal sectionthrough one of the dash pot cylinders, the construction of which iscommon to all the cylinders shown in both cylinders 1 and 2; Fig. 10 isa section on the line 1010 of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings and first to the shock absorber that isadapted to be ap plied to the front axle of the car as shown in Figs. 1to 5 inclusive, 1 is the main spring member consisting, as is usual, ofa series of superposed leaf springs and 2 is the front axle. As is usualthe ends of the lowest spring leaf are turned over to form eyes 3 andthrough these eyes are inserted pins 4 of clevises 5. The upper pin 6 ofeach of these clevises is pivoted in a yoke arm 7, at the inner end ofthe latter. This yoke arm is pivoted at 8 at the upper end of a perch 9which rises from a strut or bolt 10 carried by the axle. The arm 7 has alateral extension 11 from which extends an integral operating lever arm12 which is curved slightly outwardly and then directed in-* wardly anddownwardly toward the center of the car and is pivoted at its lower endat 13 to the end of a piston rod 14. The piston rod 14 extends within adash pot cylinder 15 and carries at its inner end a piston 16. The dashpot cylinder is adapted to contain oil and the piston is movable againstthe resistance afforded thereby. A spiral spring 17 which also aflords acushioning and shock resisting member is mounted in the cylinder andsurrounds the piston rod bearing at one end against the piston and atthe other end against the cap 18 secured on the end of the cylinder. Astufi'- ing box 19 mounted in the same end of the cylinder and throughwhich the piston rod passes serves to prevent the escape of oil. Thespring 17 is of light, flexible construction so as to be readilyyieldable to slight movements of the piston and therefore responsive toslight shocks or jars imparted to the axle structure.

The piston of the dash pot is provided with several apertures 20 throughwhich oil the car, illustrated in Figs. 2,

is adapted to pass and in the inward rebound checking or snubbingmovement of the piston, these apertures are adapted to be closed by asliding valve disk 21 mounted on the piston rod, whereby the piston Wlllbe forced against the oil contained in the dash pot and the latter willbe forced gradu-- ally past the piston through the narrow space betweenthe flange 22 thereof and the wall of the cylinder. Owing to the factthat in this rebound checking movement of the piston, the latter movestoward the solid end of the cylinder, excessive pressure on the stufiingbox is avoided.

In the movement of the piston in the opposite direction the pressure ofthe contained oil will carry the valve away from the openings,permitting the oil to escape'to the opposite side of the piston, withoutoffering appreciable resistance to the movement of the piston.

The dash pot cylinder at its inner end has a threaded cap 23 whichcarries a collar 24 which surrounds the central portion of a bolt 25.The ends of this bolt are threaded and provided with nuts 26. An angleiron 27 is mounted on this bolt and one arm; thereof is connected to arod 28. The rod 28 serves to join the ends of. the two cylinders whichthus pull against one another. The bolt 25 is continued beyond the angleiron and connected pivotally to the upper part of a clamp 29, one foreach dash pot which clamps are mounted on the front axle.

The operation of the front shock absorber is as follows Upon a shockimparted to the axle structure the arm 7 will be tilted downward,rocking the arm 12 upwardly on the pivot 8 and thus pulling the pistonrod 14 outwardly against the pressure of the spiral spring 17. Owing tothe short arm between the leaf springs or other part to be cushioned andthe greater length of the arm 12, the range of movement of the axlevibrations will be greatly multiplied and consequently slight shockswill be readily transmitted to the spiral spring and taken up thereby.This spring is light and flexible and therefore sensitive in respondingto the shocks. The oil will escape freely through the apertures 22 inthis movement against the spring and hence the shock absorbing actiondue to the upward movement of the axle structure will be readilyresponsive and quick in action. The return movement will be slow andgradual owing to the pressure of the disk valve 21 against the oil infront of the piston. As the piston moves inwardly in this returnmovement the oil will be permitted to escape only very slowly and outerflange of the piston, the apertures 20 being closed by the valve.

In the construction for the rear axle of 6, 7, and 8, the

gradually past the 1 operating mechanism is shown as mounted somewhatdifferentl for the purpose of accommodating it tot e differentconstruction of the rear axle herein illustrated.

In this arrangement 30 are perches mounted upon the brake casings 31 onthe rear axle 32 and which perches have arms at their upper endsextending slightly upwardly. These arms are adapted to be embraced bythe yoke 33 of a curved lever arm 34. This lever arm 34 has a dependinglug 35 fulcrumed at 36 on-the upper pin of a clevis 37, the lower pin 38of which engages the eye at the end of the leaf springs. The inner andlower end of the operatin lever arm 34 is pivoted to the outer end of apiston rod 36 of a dash pot, the construction of which is the same asthat described with reference to the device illustrated in Figs. 1, 3and 9. This dash pot is connected by a bolt construction 39 to a clip 40in a manner similar to that described with respect to the front shockabsorber. The two dash pots are connected by a rod 41 which in the formshown in Fig. 2 is bent slightly upward at the center to accommodate itto the differential casing. In this form of the device although thelever arm is curved in the'opposite direction from that indicated inFig. 1, the operation is the same as described with reference to theconstruction of such figure.

It is evident that in place of being connected to the leaf springs, thecushioning means and themultiplying lever may be connected to otherparts of the car for the purpose of cushioning the riding shocks betweenthe axle and the parts supported thereby.

Having thus described my invention, what claim is:

1. A shock absorber for motor cars having a cushioning device locatedbetween the axle structure and a structure supported thereby, saidcushioning device including rebound-checking means and being carried bya support which is independent of said supported structure and meansmounted on the axle structure and operatively connect ing the cushioningmeans and said supported part for multiplying the range of movement ofthe axle vibrations, and a member between said connecting means and partand pivotally connected thereto.

In a shock absorber for motor cars, in combination with an axlestructure of the car and the car structure sup orted by the axlestructure, a ushioning evice including rebound checking means, a leverfulcrumed on the axle structure and having one end connected with saidsupported structure and the other end'with the cushioning means, saidlever having its arms so arranged as to multiply the range of vibrationstransmitted from said axle structure to the cushioning means, and aclevis pivoted to said supported said supported structure t e same.

3. In combination with the axle and main springs, shock absorbingcontrolling means for motor vehicles comprising a liquid-containing dashpot fixed on the axle and having a piston, and a piston rod, the latterbeing pivotally connected to the main springs, and a stufling box at oneend of the dash pot, and means whereby the piston is retarded by theliquid only on the rebound act-ion and as the piston moves away from thestufling box.

4. In combination with a set of leaf springs for a motor'car, a shockabsorbing cushioning device including rebound checking means, a leverfulcrumed on the axle and a link joining one end of said lever to theend of said set of springs, the lever being pivotally connected to saiddevice, said lever having that arm between the fulcrum and said devicelonger than its other arm.

5. In combination with a set of leaf springs of a motor car, a clevispivoted to the end of said set, a lever pivoted on the motor car axle,and to said clevis, and a cushioning device including rebound checkingmeans pivoted to one end of said lever.

6. In combination with a set of leaf springs of a motor car, a leverfulcrumed on the axle of said car and movable in a vertical plane, adash-pot, said lever being pivotally connected to one end of said set ofsaid springs and to the piston of said dash pot.

In combination with a set of leaf springs of a motor car, a leverfulcrunied on the axle of the car and operable in a vertical plane, aclevis pivoted to the end of said set of springs, a pivotal connectionbetween said clevis and lever, and a dash pot, said lever having a shortarm between said clevis and the fulcrum and a longer 'arm between thedash-pot piston and fulcrum.

and to said lever and connecting Copies 8. In a shock absorber for motorcars, in combination with an axle structure and a structure to besupported thereby, cushioning means for the supported structurecomprising a dash pot containing a body of liquid, a piston movable insaid dash pot and having an opening therethrough, a spring pressingagainst one side of said piston and a freely movable valve memberadapted to close said opening when the piston is moved in one directionand means mounted on the axle connecting said supporting structure andsaid piston.

In combination with a motor car axle structure, a structure supported bysaid axle structure, a dash-pot near each end of said axle structure,means at one end of each cylinder of the dash pots connected to thepiston of said dash pot and connected to said supported structure, meansmounted on the axle structure to which the opposite end of said cylinderis pivotally connected and a rod connecting the ends of said cylinders.

In combination with a motor car axle structure, a structure to besupported there by, opposite cushioning dash pots, means mounted on saidaxle structure connecting the pistons of said dash pots With saidsupported structure, a clip for each dash pot cylinder mounted on theaxle structure. a bolt secured to and extending laterally from saidclip. an angle iron on the inner end of said cylinder pivotallyconnected to said bolt and a rod connecting the angle irons of theopposed cylinders.

In .witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 10th day of July, A. D. nineteen hundred andfifteen.

CHARLES D. JENNEY. [L.S.]

Witnesses:

H. P. DOOLITTLE,

A. C. RICE.

of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

